Kapok fabric and use thereof

ABSTRACT

A fabric made from fibers containing 1 to 100% of kapok.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to fabrics made of naturalfibers and, more particularly, to a fabric made from kapok and usethereof.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Many different natural and artificial fabrics are currently available.Examples of natural fabrics include those made from cotton, angora,linen, silk, and other fibers. Examples of artificial or syntheticfabrics include those made from acrylic, nylon, polyester, vinyl, rayon,polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT), and others. Different fibers havedifferent properties. In general, natural fibers breathe, and are thususually cool in warm weather and warm in cold weather. In contrast,synthetic fibers do not breathe well, and therefore are not verycomfortable in warm weather.

Kapok is the fine, silkily lustrous fruit fibers from the fruit walls ofthe capsules, 10-20 cm in length and approximately 3 cm in thickness, ofthe kapok tree (Ceiba pentandra). The kapok tree is a member of thebombax family (Bombacaceae). Other common names for the kapok treeinclude the silk cotton tree, ceiba, Java cotton, and Java kapok, etc.Originally native to South America, it can now be found in all tropicalcountries. Growing to a height of 50 meters, kapok trees are among thetallest of tropical rain forest trees.

The kapok floss or fibers, approximately 10-35 mm in length, are brittleand lustrous. The fibers are thermally insulating and water-repellent,and are thus traditionally used as a stuffing in life jackets. Kapokfibers may be white, light gray, and yellowish to brown.

Kapok has a density of 0.4-0.7 dtex, which is approximately half of thedensity of cotton. A kapok fiber has a hollow interior that constitutes80% of its entire volume (see FIGS. 3 and 4), which makes it an idealthermal insulator.

In addition to its superior physical properties when compared with thoseof other natural or synthetic fibers, the cost of kapok is less thanhalf of the cost of cotton.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention discloses a fabric made from kapok fibers andusing kapok fibers to make various types of fabrics.

In accordance with the present invention, a fabric made from kapokcontains fibers that include 1 to 100% kapok.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other objects, aspects and advantages will be betterunderstood from the following description of a preferred embodiment inaccordance with the present invention with reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which like numerals reference like elements, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is an elevated view of an open fruit capsule of a kapok tree;

FIG. 2 is an elevated view of burst fruit capsules of a kapok tree;

FIG. 3 is a microscopic image of kapok fibers enlarged 300 times;

FIG. 4 is a microscopic image of a kapok fiber enlarged 3000 times;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Turning first to FIGS. 1 and 2, kapok fibers are harvested and separatedfrom fruit capsules of kapok trees. The harvested kapok fibers are a mixof lignin and cellulose, and are light, buoyant, resilient and lustrous.Due to the lignification and lustrous exteriors of kapok fibers, cardingand spinning machines must be adjusted to operate at a low speed inorder to spin the fibers into yarns, which is discussed in furtherdetails below. The general process of turning kapok fibers into yarnsand then into fabrics, including using pure kapok fibers and blends ofdifferent natural and/or synthetic fibers that include kapok, is thesame as the process for making cotton or cotton-blended fabrics. Such aprocess is well known in the art.

Kapok can be used alone or in combination with any other natural and/orsynthetic fibers in manufacturing fabrics with desired physicalproperties. For example, Cotton is absorbent. Linen is extremelydurable. Polyester is resistant to wrinkles. Silk has a high tensilestrength and resists abrasion. Spandex is highly elastic. Vinyl iswaterproof. Wool retains warmth even when wet, and tends to ceaseburning when removed from a source of flame. Depending on the desiredphysical properties of the fabric, one skilled in the art can easily usekapok alone or blend it with any other fiber or fibers in making thedesired fabric.

Examples of natural fibers that can be blended with kapok includeangora, cotton, hemp, linen, ramie, silk, wool, and other naturalfibers. Examples of artificial fibers that can be blended with kapokinclude acetate, acrylic, lyocell, nylon, olefin, polyester, rayon,spandex, vinyl, and others.

In general, the manufacturing process of a kapok fabric is much likethat of a cotton fabric. Raw kapok fibers need to first go through aplucker and a carding machine in order to comb the fibers into alignmentwith each other. Once carded, the fibers are spun or twisted together toform a yarn. At least two types of spinning equipments well known in theart can be used for spinning kapok fibers into a yarn: break spinningand ring spinning machines. To avoid fiber breakage, the speed of thesespinning equipments must be adjusted to a low setting in comparison withthe speed suitable for spinning cotton and other natural fibers. Theexact speed is dependent on the type of machines used, and is readilyapparent to one skilled in the art via trial and error.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, Kapok has a density of 0.4-0.7 dtex,which is approximately half of the density of cotton. A kapok fiber hasa hollow interior that constitutes 80% of its entire volume, which makesit an ideal thermal insulator superior to cotton and other natural orsynthetic fibers. For example, synthetic fibers can only achieve apercentage void of up to 35 to 40%.

The following table shows a cost comparison between cotton and kapok:FIBER CLASS PRICE (per ton) Cotton 1-3 $1,600-$1,850 Kapok 1-3 $750-$950

Cotton, on the other hand, has a market price lower than that of mostsynthetic and other natural fibers. The low cost and superior physicalproperties of kapok, therefore, make kapok an excellent raw material forthe textile industry.

EXAMPLES

1. Using a break spinning equipment, fibers that contained 100% kapokwere spun into a yarn in counts 7s to 32s.

2. Using a break spinning equipment, kapok was blended with othernatural or synthetic fibers in a 55 to 45 ratio (i.e., 55% kapok) andspun into yarns in counts at and below 50s.

3. Using a ring spinning equipment with a roving frame, kapok wasblended with other natural or synthetic fibers in a 55 to 45 ratio andspun into yarns in counts 60s and below.

4. Using a ring spinning equipment with a roving frame, kapok wasblended with other natural or synthetic fibers in a 70 to 30 ratio(i.e., 70% kapok) and spun into yarns in counts of 40s and below.

Although the invention herein has been described with reference to aparticular embodiment, it is to be understood that the embodiment ismerely illustrative of the principles and application of the presentinvention. It is therefore to be understood that various modificationsmay be made to the above mentioned embodiment and that otherarrangements may be devised without departing from the spirit and scopeof the present invention as defined by the appended claims. For example,the present invention applies to all species of kapok, including thelower-grade Indian kapok.

What is claims is:
 1. A fabric made from fibers comprising kapok.
 2. Thefabric of claim 1, wherein the fibers comprise 1-100% kapok.
 3. Thefabric of claim 2, wherein the fibers is 100% kapok and are spun into ayarn in counts 7s to 32s.
 4. The fabric of claim 3, wherein the fibersare spun by a break spinning machine.
 5. The fabric of claim 2, whereinthe fibers comprise 1-55% kapok and are spun into a yarn in counts belowor at 50s.
 6. The fabric of claim 5, wherein the fibers are spun by abreak spinning machine.
 7. The fabric of claim 2, wherein the fiberscomprise 1-75% kapok.
 8. The fabric of claim 7, wherein the fiberscomprise 1-70% kapok and are spun into a yarn in counts below or at 40s.9. The fabric of claim 8, wherein the fibers are spun by a ring spinningmachine.
 10. The fabric of claim 7, wherein the fibers comprise 1-55%kapok and are spun into a yarn in counts below or at 60s.
 11. The fabricof claim 10, wherein the fibers are spun by a ring spinning machine. 12.The fabric of claim 1, said fibers further comprising at least one othernatural fiber.
 13. The fabric of claim 12, wherein the at least oneother natural fiber comprises at least one member of the groupconsisting of cotton, angora, linen, silk, hemp, ramie, and wool. 14.The fabric of claim 1, said fibers further comprising at least oneartificial fiber.
 15. The fabric of claim 14, wherein the at least oneartificial fiber comprises at least one member of the group consistingof acetate, acrylic, lyocell, nylon, olefin, polyester, vinyl, rayon,spandex and polytrimethylene terephthalate.
 16. The fabric of claim 1,said fibers further comprising at least one other natural fiber and atleast one artificial fiber.
 17. The fabric of claim 16, wherein the atleast one other natural fiber comprises at least one member of the groupconsisting of cotton, angora, linen, silk, hemp, ramie, and wool; andwherein the at least one artificial fiber comprises at least one memberof the group consisting of acetate, acrylic, lyocell, nylon, olefin,polyester, vinyl, rayon, spandex and polytrimethylene terephthalate. 18.A yarn comprising kapok.
 19. An article of clothing made from the fabricof claim 1.